Classic Hamburger Tin Foil Dinners

These Classic Hamburger Tin Foil Dinners are filled with meat, potatoes, and savory carrots and onions.  This is a great dinner idea when camping or at home.  Cook them in the oven or campfire and have a hot, delicious, “meat and potatoes” kind of meal ready in less than 30 minutes.

This last weekend, we were out at another family reunion.  This one was much bigger. All my mom’s brothers and sisters (and their kids and grandkids) gathered for a weekend of catching up and having fun.  With the weather not cooperating, a campfire didn’t happen until the morning we left but nonetheless, was still wonderful.

If you saw my last post on Lemon Garlic Salmon Tin Foil Dinners, you already know the smell of campfire just makes me so happy.  That smell is a memory trigger for me.  It brings back so many childhood memories of camping with my family and grandparents.

Cooking over the fire is one of my favorite methods of cooking during the summer.  It’s tricky keeping a home cool when you cook inside, so why not cook outside? That’s my thought.  Cooking outside is definitely a great way to keep the heat out of the house and still have a delicious hot meal on the table.  I would say we cook over the fire at least once a week if not twice or three times (fewer dishes that way too).

My family loves tin foil dinners and I love the convenience that comes with a meal wrapped in tin foil and cooked in the fire.  Easy clean-up, who doesn’t love that?

These classic hamburger tin foil dinners are one of my favorites because it was a meal I would enjoy on childhood camp trips.  The delicious hamburger patty is a sponge that absorbs flavor and moisture from the carrots, potatoes, onions, and condensed mushroom soup.  It might not look pretty but it’s delicious!

Here’s where I start.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really measure.  This meal is kind of a “handful of this and a spoonful of that” kind of recipe.

First things first, I get all my tin foil pieces ready.  I make them about 20 or so inches long.  If I cook these dinners in the oven I only wrap them once but if I cook them in the fire I always double wrap them to avoid spillage and help prevent burning.

Once the foil is ready, the first layer is the potatoes.  I place a handful of sliced potatoes right in the middle of the tin foil.  Then I top those with a handful of carrots, some salt, and pepper.

I add a spoonful of condensed cream of mushroom soup (straight from the can) to the top of the veggies, then add a hamburger patty, some onions, and more soup.  Don’t skimp on the soup.  It adds tons of flavor and keeps the pack moist.  The last step, I salt and pepper the whole thing one last time.

To close the tin foil dinner, I like to roll the tin foil starting with the long edges coming together first then roll up the sides.  Reminder–if you are going to cook your tin foil dinners in the oven you only need to wrap them once.  If you plan to cook over the fire, wrap them twice.  When they are cooked in the fire, you will end up flipping them over.  There’s a chance you could puncture or rip the outer layer.

After they are wrapped, it’s time to cook them.  You can bake them in the oven or cook them right over your campfire.  They take about 15-20 minutes to cook over a campfire and about 20-25 minutes in the oven.

When cooking over the campfire, make sure you are cooking over the coals and not over direct flame.  This will help avoid burning the food.  Flip the pack after about 10 minutes.  Once the meat is cooked and veggies are fork-tender, they are done.

Be careful when opening the tin foil because the steam inside is extremely hot.  The last thing you want while camping is a burn on your hand.

Whether you cook these tin foil dinners at home or camping, you will love them.  I made about a dozen tin foil dinners for my family of 5 and had DEEE-LICIOUS leftovers for a couple days.

What’s your favorite campfire food?

If you like this recipe, you may also like these Cheese-Stuffed Garlic Red Bell Cheeseburgers OR Lemon Garlic Salmon Tin Foil Dinners: